Tancamir

As Uilossiel and Tancamir rode into Mithlond, the afternoon sunlight glimmered upon the pale stone buildings rising on either side of the thoroughfare. The cloudless sky was reflected in the bay that could be seen to the west, busy now with boats dotting the water and moving to and fro from the quays. Uilossiel smiled up at the white gulls circling the silver spires of Mithlond, thinking to herself that their calls were like a beautiful, solemn song.

The sun hung low in the sky when the two riders sighted the grey spires of Mithlond rising above the Bay of Lhûn. As they drew closer to the Grey Havens, the call of the gulls wheeling above the quays grew louder and more insistent. Cúrandir watched in silent wonder as the great stone ramparts of the city rose up before them. At the gate, an arch carven with the likenesses of blooming flowers and foaming waves, a guard stopped them and Falasgil dismounted, speaking with him in an undertone. Cúrandir hung back, still gazing at the city in awe.

The past few days had been a glorious blur as Uilossiel and her brother set out from Imladris, riding west at a steady but unhurried pace towards Lindon. All around them the budding leaves waved upon the branches, veiling the once - bare wood in a layer of translucent green. Uilossiel fancied she could even hear a laughing music in each fresh brook they passed, newly sprung from the melting snows of the Hithaeglir. As they passed west of the Bruinen, the trees grew more dense and the undergrowth more abundant.

Ningloriel,

Somehow my wanderings have led me back to Imladris. The letter of yours is not the most unexpected thing I have encountered since then. Your words recalled fond memories of the time I spent in your home. Ever will I remember your patience and sisterly care. Forgive me for severing the ties of communication between us - my road has been long and bitter since I left Mithlond.

The spiders of the Greenwood possess a venom which contains a potent toxin that disables sense of feeling in the limbs and extremities. The venom of selected species is also  capable of inducing necrosis in the area around the bite. These include ...

"Are you certain this is a good idea?" Cúrandir frowned at Falasgil, who was busily closing up the windows and door of the hunting lodge.

"Of course! Do not even worry, Ningloriel can never refuse me a favour after I have been away for so long. " Falasgil flashed Cúrandir a grin.  "Now come and help me with this window, unless you want to stay in a mouldy lodge when we go hunting next summer!"

A fire crackled merrily before Falasgil and Cúrandir as they ate in companionable silence. The summer day was drawing to a lazy close, light falling honeyed and golden through the whispering leaves of beech and elm surrounding their camp.  The low murmur of the nearby stream mingled with the distant music of waves upon the shore. A little ways aside, Amloth and Limros grazed contentedly on the lush grasses which sprang up beside the stream. Falasgil took one last bite of his roast venison, and grinned at Cúrandir.

Gwanûr,

Tancamir wandered into the open door, absently holding a rolled-up letter in his hand. It had arrived from Lindon several days ago, delivered by a chattering young elleth named Aurineth. She had come to deliver a letter to Cúrandir from Ningloriel of Mithlond, who she claimed as one of her neighbours.

Morning dawned clear and bright, with the promise of a radiant spring day. Tancamir set out early for the wooded slopes on the northern shore of the lake. The woods here seemed wider than the narrow confines of the forests near Imladris.  Evergreen forests stretched north and west, a seemingly limitless sea of living green. Sunlight glimmered upon Amloth's chestnut hide, illuminating the white star upon his forehead.